Day six of trial, morning, MMSC

Henry Donnagin II was talking with Albert Dupont

"Dr. Dupont, help me understand what l witnessed throughout the days here in the prison. Darren Jr's ability to dominate and intimidate without possessing a real shred of power, how do you explain that?"

"Habit, instinct. Something in his character that responds to authority real or imagined," Dupont said

"That's all to it?"

"Yes."

"What about the ideas he expressed? The words, thoughts, they had no impact?"

"What ideas? What thoughts? There were only platitudes. The ideas of human supremacy was built on the empty platitudes of Darren Jr."

"A man like you was seduced by empty platitudes?"

"Yes, because you can hear in them any meaning you want."

"You said earlier you wanted to tell me something."

"Miller, Belkin, Ivan, and I have been trying to encourage some of the other defendants to join us in accepting guilt and expressing remorse. We made progress with Evenstone and we have high hopes for Heinwell. But Darren Jr means to bully them into joining him. And l fear now, he will succeed. Unless someone stops him."

"I understand. I'll see if I can do something about it," Henry said as he left

---oooOoOoOOOoOoOooo---
Later that afternoon, at the Palace

Darren Medkos Jr took the stand. A dragon who was a member of the prosecution spoke

"Mr. Medkos Jr, do you believe that the ITPF had the right to invade Equestria legally?

"l do. And l am happy to explain in detail the history of the first meeting to discuss and approve of the plans for invasion, but l will add that once we installed the SNU, we were determined to hold onto our new colonial possession under all circumstances. We did not want to leave this new colony any longer to chance rebellions and coups. lt had always been our plan once we installed the SNU into power that we would take care of the natives, dissolve the monarchies, and proceed with further human colonisation and our assured supremacy."

"Where did the idea of creating the concentration camp come from?"

"The idea was mine."

Everyone looked at Jr with shock and horror.

"lt was a question of removing danger. Only one course was available.
Internment. How could the new colony rule until it had established order? And how could it maintain order with its deadly enemies running free? I have nothing further to state on the matter."

Court was adjourned. Everyone was leaving. Henry went up to Fredrick and his assistant Annette.

"l don't get it. He's tightening the noose around his own neck," Annette said

"He doesn't care. He has bigger fish to fry. He's talking over the heads of the tribunal directly to the human race," Fredrick said

"l suggest you isolate him from the others when they're not in the courtroom," Henry said

---oooOoOoOOOoOoOooo---

MMSC, day six, afternoon

Six guard's were escorting Darren Jr, who was carrying his lunch, to his cell with the Scharführer behind him

"I don't understand, why are you doing this to me?"

The guard's didn't listen, opened the cell door, and forced Jr in there. The Scharführer looked at Jr.

"Me? I'm just following orders," he said as the cell door closed.

A few hour's later, Henry went to see Darren Jr in his cell. Jr started talking

"Why am l being punished like a schoolboy? Those four! Those four are behind this. They must have talked to Scharführer Andrew, persuaded him into this line of action."

"How do you know it wasn't me? Why Ivan, Miller, Belkin, and Dupont? ls there a rivalry between the five of you?" Gilbert asked

"They're ashamed of being a superior human. l'm not. They wish to infect the others with their shame."

"You have no shame? The whole galaxy and beyond have now seen proof of the horrors committed by your orders. You are comfortable defending every bit of it?"

"l've seen so many horrors already. The carnage of the War against the Barsellian Empire, hundreds of thousands upon millions of my own human beings maimed, degraded, starved. No, my dear doctor. l am not an inhuman monster who has no regard for life. These atrocities are not indifferent to me. You know, my three year administration was accused of so many appalling acts, it is hard to keep track."

"Do you try to?"

"My concern was with my administration and the war. And in war, each nation has its own selfish interest. You have to be practical. l am a practical man, a soldier, and a statesman. A soldier's code is obedience, and a statesmans code is survival at all cost."

"Obedience? Blind obedience without responsibility? Was there nobody in your administration that would take responsibility for anything? Nobody who could say no?"

"Take a look at every cell in this block. What do you see? Yes men. All the no men are six feet underground. What is this? You're not a supporter for those damn unter lebensformen, are you?"

"Yes, I am. In fact my son is dating a zebra now as I speak."

Jr looked Heney with shock in his face

"I see."

---oooOoOoOOOoOoOooo---

Day seven of trial, Palace courtroom

Darren Jr once again takes the stand as the head judge talked to Jr

"Will the witness repeat this oath after me?" He asked, as Jr raised his left hand and stood up

''l swear by God the Almighty and Omniscient...''

"l swear by God the Almighty and Omniscient...'' Jr said

"...that l will speak the pure truth and will withhold and add nothing.''

"That l will speak the pure truth and will withhold and add nothing," Jr said, as he sat back down

"Mr. Chief Prosecutor," the judge said as Fredrick came up to the podium

"You are perhaps aware that you are the only living man who can explain to us the true purposes of your administration and the inner workings of its leadership?"

"I am aware."

"You, from the very beginning, together with those who you were associated with, intended to overthrow Equestria's government?"

"That was my firm intention."

"ls it not true that people were subsequently thrown into the concentration camp without recourse from the ITPF or SNU court's?

"You must distinguish two categories. Those who had committed a crime against the new state and the new order were naturally turned over to the ITPF or SNU courts. Others, of whom one might expect such acts but who had not yet committed them such as functionaries of the local government who were attacking us--"

"You've answered the question."

"I need to explain further."

"You'll have the opportunity to explain under re-examination
from your own counsel. Did you prohibit all court review of the cause for taking people into what you were calling ''internment''?

"That l answered very clearly, but l'd like to make an explanation about my answer."

"Your counsel will see to that. About the camps--" before Fredrick could continue, the judge interrupted him

"Mr. Justice Fredrick. The Tribunal thinks the witness must be allowed to make what explanation he thinks right in answer to this question."

Fredrick looked back at Jr

"The Tribunal thinks that you should be permitted to explain your answer now and it will listen to that explanation."

"l want to say that l issued a decree, that those who were turned over
to the concentration camp should be informed after 24 hours of the reason and allowed an attorney after 48 hours. This by no means rescinded my order that a court review of these measures was not permitted."

"By ''internment'' you mean taking people in custody who had not yet committed a crime but you believed might commit a crime in the future?"

"Yes, just as extensive measures are being taken today in the government of Equestria--"

"I didn't ask you about Equestria today!"

"Mr. Justice Fredrick!"

"This is poor preparation," said the British judge

"The witness may be permitted to finish his explanation."

"You say that you were against the extermination of life on Equestria. Yet you gave no warning to the human race. You brought no pressure to bear to prevent it. You did not even resign to protect your place in history."

"We were at war, and such differences of opinion could not be brought before the public during war. This was the case in your own country. Your second question--"

"That'll suffice."

"I'm not finished. Secondly--"

"Your Honor?"

"The witness must be allowed to finish his sentence."

"As far as my resignation, l do not wish even to discuss that, for l was an officer, a soldier, a statesman. l served my planet, my federation, and my species."

"Now I ask--"

"Thirdly--"

"Your Honor please!"

"Thirdly, l was not the man to forsake an entire species to whom l had given my oath of loyalty and protection to everytime they were not to my way of thinking."

"Your Honor--"

"lt never, ever occurred to me to leave the human master species and my father."

"Your Honor, the witness is adopting a contemptuous attitude toward this Tribunal which is giving him a trial that he never gave a living soul nor dead ones either!"

"I'm ready for the next question," Jr said

"I think now is a good time to adjorn court," Wil said, as he banged the gavel and the court left.

---oooOoOoOOOoOoOooo---
Later that evening, at the penthouse

Daniel Sr and his friends were listening to the radio

"As the week ends, there's a consensus among all present that Darren Medkos Jr now appears to be in control of the court. Will Fredrick be able to stop him? Will anyone be able to stop him?"

"Today was a fucking disater. I could never have anticipated that Darren Jr would do that," Daniel Jr said

"I know. That was so not cool," Rainbow Dash said

"What now?" Fluttershy asked

"Ah don't know sugercube, ah really don't know," Applejack said

"Oh dad, how did it go with Gilda?" Jr asked

"I told her about what happened. She took it well. She said that I shouldn't let the argument tear apart my relationship with Dyson."

"Well I do agree. You're family, don't let one little argument get in the way of that," Rarity said

"Thanks Rarity," Sr said, then the elevator dinged and the door opens

"Justice Fredrick? What are you doing here?" Twilight asked

"Can I speak to you alone Sr?" Fredrick asked

"Sure," Sr said, as he and Fredrick went to the balcony. What they said next would be unknown until the next day.

---oooOoOoOOOoOoOooo---
At the same time, MMSC, dinner time

Darren Jr was getting dinner before being led back to his cell. The other defendants were eating dinner. Jr was boasting as he was leaving

"I dominated the court today and showed Mr. Fredrick what loyalty was about," he said, as the other defendants laugh, minus Ivan, Miller, Dupont, and Belkin.

Author's Note

Will Fredrick make his comeback? Can the trial be saved? Find out on the chapter.